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Council apology over misleading drugs message

WARRINGTON Borough Council has apologised for the misleading drugs awareness campaign "It's Not Just a Joint" which suggested cannabis was stronger than heroin.Funds for campaign, which had cost £1,500 prior to being withdrawn following a storm of protest, have now been diverted to a mental health awareness campaign, already scheduled for the summer.A council spokesperson said: “The council apologises to anybody who may feel that they were misled. The campaign has been postponed pending a review of some of the statistical data which supported the campaign. "The total campaign cost to date is £1,500. Thanks to swift action by the council’s marketing manager, advertising space intended for the cannabis campaign was reallocated to the “Happy, Okay, Sad” campaign, which is a campaign on mental health which had already been planned to run this summer.”The council had been left red faced and hastily withdrew the drugs awareness campaign after Norml UK, a group working to reform cannabis laws, labelled the claims as being ‘irresponsible and dangerous’.The ‘It’s Not Just a Joint’ initiative was launched last week via the council's own electronic newsletter - "The Wire" and sparked outrage from pro-cannabis campaigners who accused the council of suggesting heroin was a safer alternative to cannabis.Hundreds of people had commented on the council’s Facebook page forcing the council to close the page.The council’s class B drug awareness initiative included the comment: “Did you know that cannabis can be stronger than heroin and cannabis related crime is now the most common drug related crime in Warrington?”The “It’s not just a joint” campaign was due to run throughout July, August and September in Warrington, with adverts on buses and bus shelters in various locations around the town, and promotion via social media.Pro-cannabis campaigners plan to stage a protest outside the town hall on Friday.